First Year

Your first year at Duke should be a time of exploration and discovery, not a time to rush through as many requirements as possible. Students usually complete curriculum requirements through a combination of courses in their prospective majors and courses that genuinely appeal to the breadth of their interests. In your first semester, we encourage you to pick at least one class as if you had no requirements to fulfill—this choice often takes students down paths that they'd not previously considered but which lead to exciting connections to faculty, research opportunities and careers.

After arrival

The schedule you choose over the summer before coming to Duke isn’t final. In August, you will be matched with a college advisor, and you will meet with her/him twice during Orientation Welcome Week. On Wednesday, of Orientation Week at 2 PM, you will attend a group meeting with your advisor and his/her other first-year advisees. The location of this meeting will be emailed to you in August. At this meeting, you will review policies and expectations, and you will set up a time to meet individually with your advisor. At the second, individual meeting, you and your advisor will discuss your fall course schedule and your other interests and questions. The group and individual meetings with your advisor are required, as is an individual preregistration meeting every semester.

You should reach out to your college advisor often and are welcome to schedule additional meetings with her or him. Your advising network, however, extends far beyond that primary resource. A few other suggestions for early in your student tenure:

Keep up with the latest academic news, opportunities and deadlines by checking your inbox for the weekly AAC Student News .

Meet with a director of academic engagement, so you can start right away incorporating into your Duke experience specialty advising in a specific area of interest. Our DAEs can guide you in the consideration opportunities for involvement or plan how to forge a path that explore your interests on and off campus.